The last months have been challenging for many people, and I was no exception. Since the end of February, my life has drastically changed, and I took some time off blogging to process these changes.
Now I’m back, and in this blog post, I’d like to share my experience of being Russian during these times at KTH and Stockholm in general and how my friends from all over the world and I try to support those affected the most.
First of all, I have to say that in Stockholm and Sweden, people value you for not where you are from but for who you are, and I deeply share this vision. For the last two months, I haven’t faced any hatred or neglect for being from Russia; on the contrary, I was treated with nothing but support from fellow students, professors and coworkers, including Swedes and internationals. Even people who don’t know me personally never fail to express their respect and support, sharing the opinion that this is common grief for all.
I strongly support the values of freedom of speech and actually believe that speaking up might make a huge difference. And, being a media student who speaks Russian and can understand some Ukrainian, it is natural for me to analyze all the sources of information to provide people who don’t know these languages with an understanding of the primary sources to help them see the big picture.
Also, I’ve met many amazing people from Russia, Ukraine, Sweden and other European countries who try their best to help people in need, including refugees and people who have not left the country yet.
For instance, my classmate Sasha, who is from Russia too, dedicates much of her time volunteering to help those coming from Ukraine. She welcomes refugees in Stockholm and assists them in finding jobs and everyday needs like hospital visits. She is now organizing a project to create first-person narrative videos about refugees fighting propaganda and sharing real stories about the war. That’s what she says about her work:
“I think as a Russian person it is important to take a place in the fight for the truth and safety, and stand against propaganda. I feel that it is one of the only things I can do now”.
In conclusion, I’d like to share one picture I took in the Holocaust museum in Washington D.C. in November 2018. Every time I see it, it reminds me that in times like this, it’s essential to not look away and keep doing things you believe in, even if it doesn’t affect you personally.
Stay safe and take care!
\\ Valerie